Well activator



Dec? 1 .95% V W. m. moss? 5 5 WELL ACTIVATOR Filed Dec. 11., 1947 llllr A TTORNE Y Patented Dec. 12, 1950 WELL ACTIVAT-O'R William D. Dobbs, Palestine, .Tex., assignor .to Tide Water Associated Oil Company, Tulsa, Okla, a corporation ofDelawarc Application December 11, 1947, .SerialNo, 791,100

3 Claims. '1 This .invention relates to activators for wells and .more particularly to soft sand underreamers for wells.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a medium through and by virtue of which accumulations of :sand and .silt can be displaced at the foot of a well casing to accelerate or re establish flow of fluid therethrough. In many cases, especially in producing .oil wells, deposits of loose formation, such as sand, volcanic ash and silt, as well as small pebbles are influenced by the liquid drawn :into the casing and tend to clog .the strainer to such extent as to seriously hinder production of the well. It is therefore the intent of the invention to provide a simple expedient for not only dispersing these deposits but is also highly effective to :renew or accelerate theflow of fluid from the producing formation by cleaningzout channels otherwise clogged withsand and otherimatter.

'Another object of the invention is to provide a well activating device consisting of a working head .adapted to be suspended by .any suitable means in .a well casing and from which depends a plurality of tubes. To each of two of these tubes is joined a length of pipe in such manner that it may be disposed in longitudinal alignment with the well casing or at right angles thereto in which latter position it is constrained to lie under tension of a spring provided for so actuating the pipe when the latter is lowered out of the constraining infiuence of the well casing. Nozzles carried by the ends of these pipes and by the depending companion tubes are adapted to discharge liquids or gase into the oil bearing formation under pressure and at a variety of angles.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention has further reference to certain features of accomplishment which will become apparent as the description proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a View of the invention in vertical section showing inoperative position thereof.

Figure 2 is a similar View but showing the invention in operative position.

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view on a slightly enlarged scale, showing one of the underreaming units and its control spring.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference numeral l denotes the casing of a well which is usually cemented at its 2 lower end in the bore of .a well after the latter is completed preparatory to fiowingor pumping the well but is left unobstructed in spite of its lower end being cemented in the well bore.

The invention consists of a tubing string, the lowermost section of which may constitute a working head and whose lower end is closed by a plate l2. This plate is of greater diameter than the working .head to provide a flange 43, to which further reference will be made presently.

Suspended below the plate 1.2 is a plurality of tubes M and id, preferably three in number. The

upper ends .of these tubes pass through and are welded or otherwise afiixed to the plate t2. The tubes are parallel with each otherand with the casing l0.

Connected to the lower ends of the tubes 14 are right angle fittings or Us 16 into each of which is threaded .a short pipe section 11. A second 1. i8 .is threaded onto the end of each pipe section I] "and into .each of these latter Us is threaded a tubular extension consisting of alength of pipe L9. The pipes 19 each have a nozzle .25-o-n .its free end.

In order to exert a force on each of the pipes l9 tending to dispose them at right angles to the longitudinal axes of the suspending tubes N, a spring 2| is provided for each of the pipes. The upper ends of these springs are anchored to the flange [3 of the plate 12 and their lower ends are connected to their respective pipes 19, as shown, one on one Side of a pipe and the other on the opposite side of the companion pipe in order that the pipes will swing in opposite arcs when released to the action of the springs.

During the operation of lowering the underreamer through the casing, it is obvious that the pipes l9 are constrained by the casing walls to lie more or less parallel therewith with the springs 21 under tension. As soon as the pipes emerge from the casing however, the springs function to raise the pipes to the position shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, in which position they are stopped by a rod 22 extending axially through each spring. The upper ends of the rods are welded or otherwise secured to the flange of the plate l2 while their lower ends are free and terminate at a point predetermined by the elevated or operative position of the pipes l9 which is usually at an angle of substantially with respect to the depending tubes [4.

It will be observed that the intermediate tube I5 is of slightly greater length than the opposing tubes l4 and this tube carries on its lower end a T fitt g O disposed that its ends will be directed at right angles to the pipes 19 when the latter are extended or in operative position. Nozzles 24 are threaded into the ends of the T 23 and similar nozzles 25 are mounted on the ends of pipes it.

The springs 2| are shown as one medium for operating the pipes 19, it being obvious that this can be accomplished by other equivalent means.

In operation, the underreamer is lowered into the casing 10 and when the lower end of the lat ter is reached, the pipes l9, being out of the constraining influence of the casing, move to a position at right angles to the latter in opposite directions. Fluid under pressure is introduced into the tubing 1 I from the surface and is discharged into the formation below the casing l through the nozzles 24 and 25. It is apparent that the streams of fluid under pressure, directed into the sand will dislodge obstructions and in many cases, will create new channels through which oil may subsequently find its way into the casing.

The underreamer may be raised and lowered while in operation and through these manipulations increase the efiectiveness thereof. In many cases, a dormant well may be caused to resume its normal flow and other wells whose production has diminished because of sand locks may be returned to normal through the use of the invention.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modification as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A well activator including a tubular working head adapted to be lowered into and through a well casing, a group of three relatively parallel and rigid pipes depending from said head at diametrically spaced points thereon, oppositely directed nozzles on the centermost of said pipes, tubular extension below and connected to each of the two remaining pipes of said group for oscillation in a vertical plane, said tubular extensions being confined within the walls of said casing and adapted to lie substantially parallel therewith, a nozzle on the free end of each of said tubular extensions, and means normally urging said tubular extensions into angular relationship with said casing in opposite directions and effective to so dispose said tubular extensions when the latter have descended below the restraining influence of said casing.

2. A sand underreamer for a well including a tubular body adapted to be lowered through the casing of said well, a plurality of rigid pipes below and in communication with said body through which fluid under pressure is forced by way of said body into said well, a tubular extension connected to and rotatably depending from each of said pipes, spring means for urging said tubular extensions normally into angular relationship with said casing but constrained by the walls of the latter to lie substantially parallel therewith, said spring means being effective to expand said tubular extensions when the latter are moved out of confinement in said casing,

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further defined in that a fixed pipe is disposed in axial alignment and in communication with the tubular body, having a T-shaped head disposed to discharge fluid in opposite directions at right angles to the discharge of the tubular extensions.

WILLIAM D. DOBBS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 711,506 Johnston Oct. 21, 1902 1,123,690 Conrader Jan. 5, 1915 1,401,464 Crotto Dec. 27, 1921 1,427,914 Crotto Sept. 5, 1922 1,658,697 'Wiesman Feb. 7, 1928 1,739,206 Buchanan Dec. 10, 1929 1,766,487 Conner June 24, 1930 

